God & Science
If God made everything, who made God?
Short answer
The argument is that everything that begins to exist has a cause. God, by definition, did not begin to exist; he is eternal. The universe appears to have had a beginning, so it needs a cause. God does not.
In simple words: God has always been here. He never had a beginning, so nobody needed to make him.
Response
This is a fair and common question, often asked by children and philosophers alike.
The argument for God as Creator is not "everything needs a cause." It is "everything that begins to exist needs a cause." The evidence from cosmology suggests the universe began to exist, so it is reasonable to ask what caused it.
God, as Christians understand him, did not begin to exist. He is eternal, the uncaused cause. Asking "who made God?" is like asking "who is the bachelor's wife?" It misunderstands the definition.
In fact, any explanation of reality must eventually end with something that simply exists without being caused, or we would have an infinite chain of causes with no starting point. The question is whether that ultimate reality is an impersonal universe that appears to have had a beginning, or an eternal, personal God. The Bible's first words give its answer: "In the beginning God."
Key evidence
- Most cosmologists accept that the observable universe had a beginning.
- An infinite regress of causes is widely considered problematic in philosophy.
- Classical arguments (the cosmological argument) are about things that begin or depend on something else, not about everything.
Bible passages
- Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God.
- Psalm 90:2 From everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- John 1:1-3 Through him all things were made.
- Revelation 1:8 The Alpha and the Omega.
Discussion questions
- Why does everything that begins to exist seem to need a cause?
- What does it mean for God to be eternal?
- How would you explain this to a curious child?